Ginny Weasley and the Apocaplyptic Week
by Angel Black1
Summary: Reposted-I think the weird symbols are gone. Ginny Weasley is having an awful week, and things are only going to go downhill. Rated for kissing and some language


A/N: if there are weird symbols but you are still interested in reading this story, leave your email address or email me and I'll send the story to you in an email. FF.NET isn't liking me today, you see.  
  
Ginny Weasley and the Apocalyptic Week  
  
By Angel Black  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, places, and general stuff of Harry Potter, unless you're really gullible enough to believe I'm JK Rowling. In that case, send money, please. You're not an idiot, you say? Oh well, in that case just read my little story and leave a review. It'd be much appreciated!  
  
Genre: Humor/Romance  
  
Rating: Erm...PG-13? I think....  
  
Summary: Due to circumstances beyond her control, and that are generally Hagrid's fault, Ginny Weasley is having a very, very bad week. And it can only go downhill from there...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Drat!" Ginny Weasley cried aloud, glaring at what appeared to be a grey lobster with dark green polka dots. "It bit me!"  
  
"Whas 'at, Ginny?" Hagrid, the massive Care of Magical Creatures teacher, hurried to her side.  
  
"I was trying to feed the lobster-like thing-"  
  
"-Yeh mean Mackled Malaclaw, Ginny-"  
  
"-like I said, the lobster-thing, and it bit me!"  
  
"It wha'?" Hagrid asked with concern etched in his voice. He looked down at the lobster like thing in question, which was innocently chomping on a crustacean that Ginny had been holding out to it. Hagrid took a look at Ginny's hand and blanched slightly-two small pools of blood were forming where the Malaclaw had sunk its teeth into her pale, freckled hand. Ginny also looked at her hand-and immediately felt sick.  
  
"I think yeh shoul' see Madame Pomphrey fer that, Gin," Hagrid advised. "Have Aiden take yeh."  
  
Ginny nodded and turned around, searching the class for her best friend Aiden McLaught. Aiden, a tall Gryffindor in her year, was flirting easily with the pretty Slytherin girl he had been paired with. Ginny watched as something Aiden said made the girl blush, which she quickly concealed by lowering her head and letting her long hair curtain her face from view.  
  
Ginny smiled a bit-Aiden could make even the iciest Slytherin melt into a puddle with just a few words. It all seemed to be so effortless, too. Of course, Aiden didn't need to try very hard. With his short, jet black hair, clear blue eyes, and fair skin he was irresistible to most of the female population at Hogwarts. On top of that, his accent was to die for, and he was a sweet guy to boot. No, Aiden didn't need to work for love-it seemed to hunt him down.  
  
When Ginny first met Aiden, however, they were too young to be thinking about love. She had been obsessed with Harry at the time, of course, but that was completely different. Her feelings for Harry hadn't been as much about romance as they had about the safety she felt when she was with him. Harry had become a surrogate brother to Ginny-something that she thought she could do without. That's what Ginny liked about Aiden; he was protective of her without interfering with her life.  
  
'That's why I suppose I've never been jealous of Aiden's girlfriends,' Ginny mused as she made her way over to him. 'I've never even thought of him in that light.' At that moment Aiden looked up at Ginny. He grinned when he saw his best friend-and often partner in crime-approaching. The blonde girl, who Ginny recognized as Nalani Heather, lost her friendly smile as she surveyed the redhead approaching.  
  
"Hey, Gin," Aiden said, much to the displeasure of Nalani.  
  
"'Lo, Aiden," Ginny replied, trying not to seem distressed. The uneasy look in her eyes betrayed her, though.  
  
"What's wrong?" Aiden asked sharply, frowning down at Ginny.  
  
"Erm, the lobster thingy-"  
  
"-Mackled Malaclaw-" Aiden and Nalani corrected.  
  
"-yes, that," Ginny agreed, "well, it decided my hand was better lunch than the other food and all."  
  
At this, Nalani looked sympathetic despite her best efforts and Aiden seized Ginny's hand with a scowl. When he did this, Nalani lost any benevolent feelings towards the female Gryffindor and glared a bit. Ginny did her best not to roll her eyes. Instead she focused on Aiden, who was speaking.  
  
"Dear Mary, Mother of God, lass!" He cried as he examined her hand. "Why on earth did you feed your hand to it?"  
  
"I didn't feed my hand to it, Aiden-"  
  
"-Then why did it eat your hand?"  
  
"Perhaps because it was stupid enough to think I wouldn't stomp on it," Ginny grumbled.  
  
At this Aiden looked amused, "You did, did you?"  
  
"Well," Ginny admitted with a grin, "I would have if Hagrid hadn't come to its-I mean my rescue."  
  
"Right, I suppose I'll have to take you up to the Hospital Wing," Aiden replied.  
  
"What makes you think that?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"To make sure you don't get sidetracked," Aiden replied easily.  
  
"Sidetracked? My hand is being marinated in my own blood, Aiden, what's going to sidetrack me?" Ginny asked, sounding dubious.  
  
"That new Defense Against the Dark Arts bloke that all you girls giggle over," Aiden replied, already pulling her towards the castle.  
  
"Aiden, that's terrible! Professor Shields wouldn't "sidetrack" anyone, you know that," Ginny said with disgust.  
  
"Believe what you will, lass," Aiden shot back. Over his shoulder he said, "So, I'll see you this weekend, Nalani?"  
  
"Er, I suppose," Nalani replied, trying not to sound as relieved as she felt. Aiden gave her once last smile before sweeping Ginny off to the castle, the two bickering lightly as they went.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ginny sat on the edge of a bed, swinging her legs. Madame Pomphrey was saying "tut-tut" as she hovered around. Aiden was grinning in the background, knowing how much Ginny hated to be fussed over. Madame Pomphrey finished the bandage on her hand with a flourish and stepped back as Ginny hopped off the bed.  
  
"Thanks, Madame P!" Ginny cried, intent on dashing out of the door.  
  
"Miss Weasley!" Madame Pomphrey cried with the air of one who wasn't quite finished yet.  
  
Ginny, who had grabbed Aiden's hand and was about to pull him out the door, paused and looked back expectantly.  
  
"You may want to simply stay in bed this week," Madame Pomphrey said once she knew she had Ginny's attention. "It might be for the best. I'll write a note and send it to your professors."  
  
"It's just a bite, Madame P. I'll be fine, really," Ginny said, looking confused. "I really don't want to miss a whole week of lessons if I don't have to." She moved towards the door again. As she passed a table, her hip bumped into a tray carrying potions and it began to slide off its table. Ginny reached out to grab it, but only succeeded in smashing more bottles on the floor. She looked from the mess to Madame Pomphrey with a surprised look in her eyes. She tried to mutter an apology, but none came. Madame Pomphrey did not scold her, as Ginny expected, but simply cleaned the mess with a swish of her wand.  
  
"Hmm, well if you change your mind, come back," Madame Pomphrey said as she allowed the two to leave.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ginny and Aiden returned to Gryffindor Common Room after that, deciding to skip the last 15 minutes of class.  
  
"After all," Aiden reasoned as Ginny plopped into an overstuffed armchair by the fire, "it'll take us at least 10 to get down there. By then, we'd just have to pack our books again and trek back up to the castle."  
  
"I can't believe I knocked all of Madame P's Healing Potions over!" Ginny cried in mortification. Aiden perched himself on the arm of her chair and slung his arm around her shoulders. Ginny leaned into his brotherly embrace, still feeling embarrassed.  
  
"I know, you haven't done things that clumsy for ages. At least that was our last class for the day," Aiden said thoughtfully.  
  
"Mum said it was just a phase."  
  
"Yes, well mothers lie, girly."  
  
"It was a phase, Aiden! Until today!"  
  
"I know, lass, I know. It was just, unlucky, that's all."  
  
"Unlucky," Ginny repeated, turning the thought over in her mind. 'Unlucky, that seems to strike a chord, but from where?' Ginny thought. She was pensive for a moment before she sat bolt upright.  
  
"Aiden! Get me Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Quick!" She commanded.  
  
Aiden looked curious, but did as Ginny instructed. After rifling through his bag for a moment Aiden produced the textbook and handed it to Ginny. She began flipping through the pages, searching for something.  
  
"Here it is," She finally exclaimed. Then she began to read the entry,  
  
" Mackled Malaclaw  
  
The Malaclaw is a land-dwelling creature found mostly on rocky coastlines in Europe. Despite it's passing resemblance to the lobster... blah blah blah, blah blah blah...Ah, here it is...The Malaclaw's bite has the unusual side effect of making the victim highly unlucky for a period of up to a week after the injury. If you are bitten by a Malaclaw, all bets, wagers, and speculative ventures should be cancelled, as they are sure to go against the victim."  
  
Ginny turned to look at Aiden, whose mouth was hanging open. Finally he was able to mutter something intelligible. "A week?"  
  
"That's why she suggested I stay in bed all week," Ginny replied dully.  
  
"I have to deal with Ginny the Disastrous for a week?" Aiden sounded shocked. One look over at him told Ginny that he was over dramatizing to annoy her. It was working, too.  
  
"Shut it, you," Ginny growled, reaching for her wand. Before she could even reach it, however, Aiden's hair had turned as purple as the Knight Bus and was down to his chin. Aiden blinked, feeling his hair, and holding a strand in front of his face.  
  
"It's purple, you imp," Aiden said with an accusing glare.  
  
"Sorry? I haven't done magic without a wand for years," Ginny said, trying to sound penitent but clearly amused.  
  
"Well, then," Aiden said while standing, "I think it's time to consult the resident Gryffindor hair experts." He looked about and spotted Pavarti and Lavender giggling on the couch. Before he stalked away he added, "As for you-you just go off to bed, lass, before you cause any more trouble around here!"  
  
"Yes, mother," Ginny grumbled as Aiden approached two highly amused resident hair experts. She did, however, take his advice. She felt fairly drained and decided that she wasn't even hungry enough to make it to dinner. Instead she took up some homework and busied herself with that until she found the lure of sleep too irresistible to refuse.  
  
After changing into her pajamas-which were actually a pair of Ron's shorts and a shirt she had "borrowed" from Harry-Ginny climbed into bed. Maybe, if she were lucky, the bite's effect wouldn't last the whole week. Ginny snorted at the irony of it all-she'd be lucky if her curse of bad luck wouldn't last. Oh, it was going to be a long, tiresome week, for sure.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning Ginny woke with the sun spilling through her curtains. She stretched luxuriously, feeling well refreshed and ready for the day. 'Maybe I'm not going to be too unlucky,' Ginny thought. 'After all, I did sleep through the night.'  
  
She sat up and pushed the curtains aside to reveal a deserted dorm room. With a sense of foreboding, Ginny turned to look at the clock.  
  
"Eight thirty! How could I have overslept? I went to bed at nine!" With that she hastily grabbed the outfit laid out for her and rushed to the showers. She brushed her teeth quickly and jumped into the shower, which was freezing. Ten minutes later, she stepped out shivering but clean.  
  
Ginny hastily dressed and then dashed out of the bathroom, back to her dorm. She hastily stuffed her Transfiguration books into her bag and darted back out into the corridors. Looking at her watch, she saw that she had seven more minutes. Deciding it would be best to run, she pelted all the way to Professor McGonagall's classroom while muttering a spell to sweep her still wet hair out of her face.  
  
She made it with two minutes to spare, and slumped into the table at the back of the room that she and Aiden always shared. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. She heard him slide into the seat next to her, and clear his throat.  
  
"Yes, I know I missed breakfast. Can you believe I overslept, Aiden?" Ginny looked over at him knowing his gaze would be sympathetic-except that it wasn't Aiden. Sitting in his spot was Draco Malfoy, the blond smirking ferret himself.  
  
"The name's Malfoy, not Aiden, and I thought you Weasleys could at least afford to memorize your schedules," Malfoy drawled, smirking over at her.  
  
Ginny's eyes looked around the class, which was filled with seventh year Slytherins. On the other side of the room, Ron Harry and Hermione were looking over at Ginny curiously. One or two students around them were sniggering quietly.  
  
"It's not Tuesday, is it, Malfoy?" Ginny asked warily.  
  
"Ah, I see you haven't even learned the days of the week. It's Thursday, little weasel," Malfoy sneered.  
  
Ginny's eyes flew wide in horror as he said this. "It's Thursday?! Shit! I've got Potions!"  
  
With that Ginny flew out of the classroom, leaving behind a scandalized Professor McGonagall, a sympathetic Harry Ron and Hermione, and a maliciously amused Draco Malfoy. She heard McGonagall call that she'd taken points away for language, but at this point Ginny didn't care. At this point she had a larger problem: being the cause of Professor Snape's wrath and surviving to tell the tale.  
  
"Accio Potions Book! Accio Potions Notes! Accio caldron!" Ginny cried as she ran along the corridors. The potions book and notes flew towards her, and she caught them and neatly stuffed them in her bag. While she was doing this, her caldron hit her cheekbone, causing Ginny to bite down on her lip.  
  
"Ow." Was all she said before she picked up the offending caldron and continued her marathon towards the potions room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The potions door flew open without Ginny even touching it-the second time in less than twenty four hours she had done magic without intending to. 'Damn,' Ginny thought irritably. 'I thought I could at least control that!'  
  
"Sorry...I'm late...Professor..." Ginny panted, looking into the wrathful face of Professor Snape.  
  
"I'm sure," he sneered. Ginny stood, waiting for him to dock points or give her detention, but he simply glared at her. "Take your seat, Miss Weasley," Professor Snape snapped.  
  
"Y-yes, sir," Ginny stammered as she rushed over to the seat that Aiden had saved for her. He was looking worried, but Ginny for one was relieved. Snape was letting her get away with this? Maybe the bad luck thing was all a superstition.  
  
"Oh, and Miss Weasley," Snape cut into her thoughts, looking positively sinister. "Perhaps a deduction of twenty points will teach you the values of punctuality?"  
  
Ginny suppressed a groan and continued to lay out her supplies. As she copied down the potions ingredients from the board, she sighed. 'I was so close to getting off Scott free, so close."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As they walked out of Potions and to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. She was so relieved to get out of Potions. After breaking a vial of dragon's blood and causing her potion to explode across the room, Professor Snape had taken another thirty points. He also handed out a detention, saying she would come back until she perfected the potion they were working on that day.  
  
As they walked into DADA, Ginny was never more grateful to see Professor Shields. It wasn't because the young Professor was handsome-which he certainly was. With his curly brown hair and deep brown eyes, the Professor had won the hearts of many of his female students. Ginny knew something that the girls at Hogwarts didn't however-he was engaged. Ginny only knew this because Professor Shields' fiancée was her older, and only, female cousin.  
  
Professor Shields smiled at Ginny as she walked in, which made Aiden scowl.  
  
"I don't like the attention he gives you, Ginia," Aiden muttered.  
  
"What attention?" Ginny asked, feigning ignorance. Aiden didn't know the reason for Professor Shields' friendliness to Ginny simply because she found Aiden's fretting quite amusing.  
  
"He...is always...just so...I don't know," Aiden finished glumly.  
  
"He's nice is all," Ginny said with a shrug. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Aiden fuming at her supposed naivety. It took all her control not to laugh aloud. She did stop however, when Aiden pressed his hand against her cheek with a frown. The gesture made her gasp with pain.  
  
"We should do something about that bruise, lass," Aiden said, still frowning. "What happened, anyways?"  
  
"Er, I was assaulted by my caldron," Ginny said. She hurriedly explained the schedule mishap, flushing with anger as she thought of what Malfoy said.  
  
"So that's why you were late," Aiden said, still frowning. He was about to mutter a Healing Charm when Professor Shields called for quiet and asked the class to take their seats. Aiden and Ginny quickly sat and pulled out their notes.  
  
"You can put your wands away," Professor Shields was telling the class. "I'll be giving you a quiz today to see that you were paying attention in yesterday's lesson."  
  
The class groaned in unison. Although Professor Shields was both handsome and one of the best teachers Hogwarts had seen since Lupin, there was no doubt that he was one of their toughest DADA teacher. Ginny smiled a bit-she had reviewed her notes the other night before falling asleep. Finally, something was going her way today.  
  
Ten minutes later, Ginny wasn't so confident anymore. She knew she missed at least three major points in the destruction of a Kelpie, and she could not recall where the largest and most elusive Kelpie was located. She, thankfully, remembered the water demon's favorite form (a horse). She was grateful when Professor Shields instructed them to put their quills down and pass their quizzes to the front of the room.  
  
"You may talk quietly while I grade these," Professor Shields said, nodding towards the papers. "Homework for tomorrow...well, I'll see if there were any weak points in the quizzes."  
  
Ginny turned to Aiden with a miserable face. "I know what my weak point was. I couldn't remember where that Kelpie's found!"  
  
Aiden looked at Ginny for a moment before chuckling softly. "Loch Ness, Scotland, lass."  
  
"No," Ginny said, her eyes wide. "How could I forget the Loch Ness Monster?" She smacked her hand to her forehead, letting out a frustrated sigh.  
  
"Bad luck, lass," Aiden said.  
  
"You're not kidding," Ginny muttered. "Damn lobster-like thing!"  
  
Ten minutes later Professor Shields was handing their papers back. He paused at Ginny's desk and gave her a hard look before placing the paper face down on the desk. Ginny stared at the paper with a sense of foreboding, not sure if she wanted to turn it over.  
  
"So, lass, are you going to look at your grade or make me?" Aiden asked, leaning across the aisle.  
  
"You," Ginny said, holding the paper out to him.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Aiden took the paper and turned it over. He read the paper over with a frown.  
  
"Well?" Ginny asked with dread. "How bad is it?"  
  
"It says 'See me after class, Miss Weasley'," Aiden read with a scowl. "You got twelve out of twenty marks."  
  
"That's horrid!" Ginny moaned. 'And now Bryant's angry with me, I'm sure. He always expects me to get excellent marks in his class.' The bell rang and the students began to clear out of the classroom, each bemoaning their own grades.  
  
"I'll wait for you in the library, Ginia," Aiden promised and stepped outside.  
  
Ginny made no hurry of packing her books. She then slowly shuffled her feet to the front of the room and stopped before Professor Shields' desk. He was shuffling papers, and didn't look up as she approached. He took a deep breath before meeting her eyes, and Ginny saw the disappointment there.  
  
"I'm sorry, Bryant, I did look over my notes last night, I truly did," Ginny began, flopping down into a chair.  
  
"I'm surprised, Virginia," he began, slowly. "This isn't like you. You're an excellent student and always receive top marks in my class."  
  
"I know, and I don't know what happened," Ginny said mournfully. 'That's not true,' Ginny thought. 'It's that stupid bad luck lobster- thing.'  
  
"Is there anything wrong? Something that is distracting you from your school work, Virginia?" Bryant asked, sounding concerned. "Virginia, I know I'm not one of your brothers or even a real cousin, yet, but if you ever need to talk-"  
  
"-no, no, Bryant, it's nothing like that. I'm not heartbroken, no one's threatened me, the only teacher that treats me badly is Snape but that's nothing new, and there aren't any family problems. This is all Hagrid's fault!" Ginny exclaimed.  
  
"Hagrid's fault?"  
  
"Yes! He brought these stupid lobster-like things to class-"  
  
"-Mackled Malaclaw?"  
  
"Yes, and one bit me!" Ginny finished in frustration.  
  
"Ah, so a week's bad luck?" Bryant now looked slightly amused.  
  
"I went to Transfiguration instead of Potions this morning, was assaulted by my caldron on the way to Potions after Draco Ferret Malfoy pointed out that I was in the wrong room, I lost fifty five points in one day for being clumsy, I have detention with Snape until I can make this impossible potion, and now I can't even remember the Monster of...of..."  
  
"Loch Ness, Virginia," Bryant filled in with a grimace. "I'll tell you what. You're obviously having a bad day, so I'll let you write an essay on the Loch Ness Monster to replace your quiz grade. Hand it in to me next week, all right?"  
  
"Oh, thank you so much, Bryant," Ginny said, so relived that she thought she might cry. "I appreciate it so much."  
  
"Mmhmm. And Snape took fifty five points from Gryffindor?"  
  
"No, McGonagall took five."  
  
"What for? Being in the wrong class? That's a bit harsh."  
  
"No...I, erm, cussed a bit," Ginny said with a blush.  
  
"Ah," Bryant said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'll give you ten points back for doing as well as you did on the quiz while under the curse of a Malaclaw."  
  
Ginny smiled, saying, "Thank you, Bryant."  
  
"Right, now I believe Aiden said he was waiting for you in the library?" Bryant said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes he is, and no we're not dating. Don't even think that," Ginny said as she turned to walk out the classroom.  
  
"Virginia, wait a moment," Bryant had moved out from behind his desk. He pulled out his wand and tapped it against her cheek, whispering a Healing Spell. "There, now you don't look as if you picked a fight."  
  
"Thanks, Bryant," Ginny said once more as she hurried away towards the library.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that night, far past midnight, Ginny climbed through the portrait hole. She could barely keep her eyes open as she walked. Her shoulders drooped slightly and her legs felt as if they were laden with lead. She was about to head up to bed when the armchair to her left began to snore loudly.  
  
Looking over in confusion, Ginny spotted Aiden slumped over in the chair. He was actually half in and half out, looking as if he could fall to the floor at any given moment. Reaching over, Ginny tapped him lightly on the shoulder.  
  
"Aaah!" Aiden cried, falling to the ground with a thump. He hastily pulled his wand from his robes and began swinging it around like a sword.  
  
"Aiden! Aiden, it's just me!" Ginny exclaimed, grabbing his wand away from him. Aiden looked up at her with bleary eyes before breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
"Lord alive, lass!" Aiden said, glaring up at Ginny from the floor. "What'd you do that for?"  
  
"What wake you? Just to see you scream, Aiden," Ginny retorted with sarcasm. "I didn't want to hear you complain about a sore back all day, that's what I was doing."  
  
"Fine. How was detention?" Aiden asked.  
  
"Far from over," Ginny groaned. "He changed his mind. I'm brewing a Restorative Potion."  
  
"But that takes-"  
  
"-a week. I know," Ginny concluded the sentence with a groan.  
  
"Sorry, lass. Go to bed. You'll need your sleep."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Six days later, Ginny flopped down in an armchair with a resolute frown. She would be glad when midnight struck and her bad luck wore off. She looked up at the clock-just five more hours. Five more hours and hopefully she'd be able to have a quiet week next week. As she thought over the past seven days, Ginny nearly wished she had taken Madame P's advice and stayed in bed.  
  
Friday brought along many fights. Even Aiden had become angry with her for something that she didn't start. That Slytherin girl, Nalani, had cornered Ginny after her third lesson and informed Ginny that Aiden would never notice her the way she wanted. Ginny, fed up with the girl's glares and insinuations, spat, "I know that, and thank God. Now I only wish that I could find out what interest he has in you!!" Aiden had heard and had given Ginny the cold shoulder all day until he overheard some classmates talking of the accusations the Slytherin Girl had thrown at Ginny. He immediately apologized for not listening and promised to tell Nalani that he and Ginny were just friends. Of course Draco Malfoy had been there to gloat over the whole situation.  
  
Saturday Ginny woke up with the most terrible cold she'd had since she was seven. By mid-afternoon she was running a high fever and should have stayed in bed all weekend. She had gone to her detention, however, after arguing with her brother that Snape wouldn't let her off because she had a cold. The fates seemed to take pity on her, however-all that was to be done those evenings was to add an ingredient or two and stir for three hours.  
  
Monday Ginny was still a bit ill, but not enough to miss class. She did end up falling asleep in a few classes, though. The rest of Gryffindor was angry with her for the rest of the day for loosing more points.  
  
Tuesday Ginny was no longer ill, but plagued with all the homework she hadn't done the night before in favor of going to bed. On top of all the make-up work, her Professors had loaded on even more homework. Ginny had worked through her free period and skipped lunch so that she wouldn't fall to far behind. She was irritable with everyone, and got into a few more fights.  
  
Today, Wednesday, had been by far the worst. Today Ginny seemed to have gained a rather unwanted shadow-Draco Malfoy. He had shown up everywhere she was, whether by accident or design Ginny didn't even want to know. In the library he had corrected every mistake she made on her homework-which she may have taken as a thoughtful gesture if not for the sneer on his face as he did so. After that he had dug through her bag and nicked her treasured sketchbook. This angered Ginny the more than all the insults he could have thrown at her-that sketchbook held glimpses of her soul that she wasn't willing to share with Draco Malfoy. Of all the unlucky things to happen to Ginny that week, that had been the worst.  
  
So here she sat, half an hour until her detention with Snape, fingers itching with the desire to draw, and her sketchbook in the clutches of the one person who hated her most. It wasn't fair-this wasn't just unlucky it was...she didn't know what it was but it was more than bad luck. She didn't even want to know what Malfoy would do with that sketchbook.  
  
Looking at the clock again, Ginny knew she had better head down to the dungeons before she was late. Saying goodbye to Aiden, Ginny packed up her potions supplies and walked out of the common room. It didn't take her long to get down there, so she hung outside the room until she had to go in. When she looked over at Snape she was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing right next to him.  
  
"Miss Weasley, I have...other business to attend to this evening," Snape said, giving Ginny the distinct feeling that it had something to do with Snape's roll as a double agent. He was still speaking, though. "Mr. Malfoy has kindly agreed to supervise your detention."  
  
At this Ginny's mouth fell open in horror. 'This is the single worst day of my life,' Ginny bemoaned her ill luck. 'I can't escape him!' Malfoy, on the other hand, was smirking superiorly. Ginny was sure he planned on making her evening as horrible as possible.  
  
Snape swept out of the classroom without further ado, leaving Ginny gaping and Malfoy smirking. Shaking her head, Ginny turned to the potion that was brewing in the corner of the classroom. 'Four and a half hours,' Ginny reminded herself.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Malfoy sit in Snape's desk. He swung his feet up on the desk, reminding her forcefully of a Muggle detective movie. She amused herself for a moment by picturing Malfoy in a suit and tie with a hat perched over his face and a newspaper in hand. Shaking her head, she turned back to the potion. She hadn't worked on the stupid thing for a week to mess up now!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Four hours later, Ginny was ready to add the last ingredient. She rummaged through her ingredients until she found what she was looking for. She looked at the delicate red blossoms on the long stems. She had fetched them from Greenhouse Seven that morning. They were emitting a soft fragrance-something that smelled strangely familiar. Ginny was about to lean forward and catch a whiff of the flowers, but a hand closed around her wrist and yanked the flowers away.  
  
"I wouldn't smell Dragonsbreath if I were you, Weasley," A cold voice drawled from close behind her.  
  
Ginny whirled around to look at Malfoy, surprise apparent in her eyes. She had nearly forgotten he was there; he had been blissfully silent the entire time. In fact, the last she looked at him he had been fast asleep. She remembered thinking how innocent, even angelic he looked in sleep. She was stunned at the look on his face-if she didn't know better, she'd think he was concerned. Finally she caught her wits and asked why not.  
  
"Because," he had by now extracted the blossoms from her hands and was pulling the unopened buds off, "the scent of Dragonsbreath is to a person what the moon is to a werewolf." Here he turned and looked down at her, "it's a nearly irresistible pull, and it makes one loose control of oneself."  
  
"Oh," was all she could think to say.  
  
"Here," Malfoy said, shoving a pile of buds towards her, "this should be enough. I'll get rid of this," he said, indicating the Dragonsbreath.  
  
"Thank you," Ginny said, wondering what had just happened. She frowned and let the buds fall into the brewing potion one by one as the directions said. When she was done, Ginny turned to look at Malfoy. She was somewhat unnerved to find that he had been watching her.  
  
"Don't be so surprised. I'm not 'inhuman' and all that rubbish you Gryffindor lot come up with," Malfoy said, sweeping past her. "I wasn't about to let you be taken over by that."  
  
"What...what would have happened?" Ginny asked.  
  
Malfoy looked over at Ginny with a frown, "Whatever the first person told you to do." Ginny's mouth fell open at his statement, and she felt a shiver travel up her spine. "A word of advice," Malfoy continued, looking away, "if a bloke gives you Dragonsbreath on a date, stuff it in his face and tell him to jump off a cliff."  
  
Not knowing what to say, Ginny simply nodded. She still didn't understand why she hadn't smelt it-with her Malaclaw bite and her worst enemy in the room, having no control over her actions would make a climax to her bad week. She murmured "why" to herself again, trying to figure it out.  
  
"Why?" Malfoy repeated. Ginny looked over at him to see angry lines setting on his face. "Weasley, as much as you'd love to believe it, I'm not evil."  
  
"That's not what I meant," Ginny said hurriedly, not really sure why she cared.  
  
"What did you mean, then?" Malfoy said his sneer back in place.  
  
"I've just had really bad luck this week," Ginny said by way of explanation.  
  
"Someone curse you?" Malfoy asked with curiosity.  
  
"No, a Mackled Malaclaw bit me last week," Ginny clarified.  
  
"Ah, I see," Malfoy replied, seeming disinterested. "You'll want to stir that, Weasley, or it'll spoil."  
  
Ginny turned around and began stirring her potion with a flushed face. She had nearly ruined it! How could she be so careless? She looked up at the clock longingly-three minutes until midnight. 'Please, please,' Ginny pleaded with whatever forces could hear her, 'don't kill me in the last three minutes!'  
  
Looking down at her potion, Ginny yelped-it was boiling over. Jumping back, she looked around for her wand. With a sickening feeling in her gut, Ginny realized she left it up in her dorm room. 'Oh no, oh no, oh no,' Ginny was chanting frantically in her mind. She would not ruin the entire potion in the last two minutes of the curse-she couldn't!  
  
She looked around for something-anything that she could use. Her eyes landed on Malfoy-sitting once again at the desk with his feet up. He was paging through a book, not having noticed the small dilemma.  
  
"Malfoy!" Ginny called. "I need your wand!"  
  
"What?" Malfoy asked, looking at his wand protectively. His gaze fell on the bubbling over cauldron and he cursed quietly. In an instant, he was by her side and had whispered a Cooling Charm.  
  
They both watched as the mixture slowly boiled down back into the cauldron. It was a pale blue and smelled spicy and had the same gentle fragrance of Dragonsbreath. Ginny stepped back hastily from the potion; she did not want to lose control of herself.  
  
Unfortunately, the only place to step back to was right into Malfoy. At the shock of feeling his warm body behind hers, Ginny jolted forward again almost knocking into the table. Before she could spill the potion over, Malfoy had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back.  
  
"What was that all about, Weasley? That potion won't attack you, you know," He snapped, looking down at her.  
  
"But...it has Dragonsbreath in it...and I thought..." Ginny stuttered, willing him to understand what she was getting at.  
  
He chuckled softly-a sound that Ginny was horrified to find made her stomach do light flip flops and her pulse quicken. His face looked amused, and Ginny blushed slightly before she realized he wasn't making fun of her out of malice. It was more the friendly teasing Aiden poked at her day in and day out. Though Malfoy wasn't exactly smiling, the absence of his sneer made a stunning difference in his whole countenance.  
  
'Sweet mother of Christ,' Ginny thought as she found herself laughing nervously, 'why hadn't I realized how handsome he is before?' Under normal circumstances Ginny surely would have kicked herself for having such thoughts. The circumstances were far from normal, however. For one, Malfoy still had his arms lightly around her waist and Ginny hadn't moved from the embrace yet.  
  
"Don't worry, little girl," Malfoy said, his voice laced with amusement. "The Dragonsbreath is diluted with the other ingredients-its magical properties aren't strong enough to render you mindless."  
  
"Oh, right," Ginny murmured softly, not sure what to say. She smiled a bit, suddenly all too aware of his arms around her. "Well, I suppose I should get those bottled up."  
  
"Right," Malfoy said, immediately dropping his arms. He looked slightly flustered, and Ginny guessed that he had just realized he had been holding his enemy's little sister. Ginny pulled down three jars from one of the cabinets and prepared to fill the first one.  
  
"Here, Weasley," Malfoy said, pulling it from her hands. "I'd better do that. You still have a minute."  
  
Ginny looked up at the clock, which read 11:59. She sat back and let Malfoy fill the jars. When he had finished, he carried them to Snape's desk and set them down carefully. Ginny began packing up her ingredients as he did this.  
  
"Hmm, that figures," she heard Malfoy drawl.  
  
"What?" Ginny asked, turning as she packed the last of her supplies in her bag.  
  
"Snape, Mr. I-Never-Forget-Anything, neglected to leave a pass for you," he replied.  
  
"Well, he needed to get to the meeting quickly, I expect," Ginny replied before slapping her hand over her mouth. She had just as much disclosed to the son of a Death Eater that their Professor was acting as a double agent against the Dark Lord.  
  
"Don't worry, I know," Malfoy said, reading her horror struck gaze correctly.  
  
"He told you?" Ginny was now even more appalled.  
  
"Yes, well, he's my godfather. After father was arrested, I was sent off to live with him," Malfoy explained. "Come on, I'll take you back to Gryffindor. Filch will give you more detention if he finds you wandering without a prefect or a pass from a teacher."  
  
Ginny's mouth hung open as she watched Malfoy sweep out of the room. After a moment Ginny hurried after him, questions spinning in her mind. "Snape's your godfather?"  
  
"Yes, and it's because of him I don't have that vile thing tattooed on my forearm," Malfoy said. "It was lucky Father was arrested two years back-he had planned on having me Marked that summer."  
  
"And you didn't want to?" Ginny asked, awestruck.  
  
"At the time I did," Malfoy replied, not looking at her.  
  
"Why the change, then?" Ginny could tell it wasn't a subject he wanted to discuss, but she couldn't contain her curiosity.  
  
Malfoy stopped walking before turning to look at her. She was surprised to find his eyes slightly darker than usual. His silver hair was glinting in the torchlight, and Ginny immediately wished she hadn't asked.  
  
"Father died in that jail cell. He became ill. It made me realize that he wasn't invincible, and Voldemort's" Ginny flinched at the name "followers were expendable. I didn't want to be that, and Severus helped me see that."  
  
Malfoy turned around and continued down the corridors. Ginny hurried to catch up with him. She walked beside him in silence for a minute before speaking.  
  
"I'm sorry about your father, Malfoy," She finally said softly.  
  
"He wasn't much of a father anyways," he replied tonelessly.  
  
"Oh," she replied.  
  
"Weasley, do you know Aiden McLaught? He's in your class, isn't he?" Malfoy said, changing the subject abruptly. Ginny turned to look at him, and was surprised to see a scowl on his face.  
  
"Yes, Aiden's my best friend. Why?" Ginny asked.  
  
"The git's taking my little cousin, Nalani Heather, to Hogsmeade this weekend," Malfoy said with a scowl. "What's he like?"  
  
"Aiden's the best guy I know," Ginny said defiantly. "He wouldn't harm a fly, unless it was harming someone he cared for."  
  
"Hmm," Malfoy said in a noncommittal tone. "I still don't like him?"  
  
"Don't like him or don't like him dating your cousin?" Ginny asked with a laugh. He turned and looked at her in surprise. She laughed again and said, "Don't look so surprised. I have seven brothers and Aiden for boys to deal with. I've seen the whole overprotective act more than any girl in all of Europe."  
  
Malfoy chuckled again and Ginny found that her stomach was dancing around once more. She smiled weakly and focused straight ahead, hoping that he didn't notice the blush on her cheeks. At that moment something slinked across Ginny's legs. She jumped away from it with a cry, and right into Malfoy's arms for the second time that night.  
  
Malfoy looked slightly surprised but wrapped his arms around her saying, "What is it?" He looked around a bit before spotting Mrs. Norris gazing up at them with accusing eyes. "Oh, did that dratted cat sneak up on you?"  
  
Ginny looked to where he was gazing and flushed even more deeply- she'd been scared by a cat! "Sorry, she just snuck up on me, and I was startled, and..."  
  
"That's alright," Malfoy said, surprising Ginny with his soft tone. She looked up to see that he had been studying her face once again. "She does that a lot. She scared the life out of me when I first patrolled the corridors on prefect duties."  
  
"Right," Ginny breathed as Mrs. Norris slunk away. Ginny's brain was telling her to move away, but her body seemed to be quite content where it was. She couldn't seem to pull her arms off his shoulders. Her legs simply refused to step back.  
  
After a moment Malfoy drew himself up to his full height, his gaze still holding Ginny steady. She gasped a bit in surprise as one hand came up against her cheek and tipped her face up towards his. He tightened his arm around her waist as he leaned forward slowly. Ginny's eyes fluttered closed as his warm lips covered hers.  
  
Ginny's mind reeled, telling her how furious Ron would be. She tried to remember all the snide remarks Draco Malfoy had made towards her, but found she couldn't. As he kissed her softly, she found herself going over the day. He had stopped her from failing her assignments in the library. He had kept her from smelling the Dragonsbreath, which he could have used to his advantage. He stopped her from spoiling her potion. He kept the potion from spilling after it was complete. He was walking her back to Gryffindor so she wouldn't be in trouble. He hadn't joined the Death Eaters. More shocking than all of this-he was kissing her.  
  
So she did the only thing she was capable of while the soft scent of his cologne invaded her senses and he pulled her closer. She kissed him back. 'After all,' Ginny reasoned with the part of her brain still telling her this was wrong, 'I do owe him some thanks.'  
  
Far too soon, it was over. He pulled back, and Ginny opened her eyes half expecting to see him sneering. His face, however, was completely unreadable. For a second, she thought she saw a hint of confusion in his eyes. Then he had turned around, one hand around her wrist, and he was leading her down the corridor once more.  
  
Ginny followed silently, not even sure what to say to him. She went over the day once more. She had thought it was bad luck that she kept running into him today. As she recalled each event, however, she saw all the near catastrophes he had stopped. 'Draco Malfoy was my good luck charm,' Ginny thought in shock. Well, if that was the case, she'd have to keep him around.  
  
She then realized that they had stopped walking. The Fat Lady in Pink was looking at them expectantly. Ginny looked at Malfoy, still unsure of what to say. He was studiously studying his shoes.  
  
"Er, well, goodnight, then," Ginny muttered softly. Turning to the Pink Lady, she whispered the password-"bloody Slytherins." Ron had allowed Harry to choose the password for the week. With one last look over her shoulder, Ginny climbed through the portrait hole.  
  
"Wait, Weasley," Ginny paused when she felt a large hand on the small of her back. She turned around, sitting in the portrait hole. "Virginia," He amended. Ginny's heart sped up once again as she looked up at him.  
  
"Yes...Draco?" Ginny said hesitantly. When she said his name, he smiled. It was the first time Ginny had ever seen Draco Malfoy smile, and she found she couldn't help but smile back. When he smiled, he looked adorably boyish yet more handsome than ever.  
  
"Well, the way I see it, Virginia, you owe me for tonight," He began, his eyes glinting in the torchlight. Ginny raised an eyebrow and he clarified, "Well, for the Dragonsbreath, and the potion, and all."  
  
"What do you suggest I do to, erm, repay you?" Ginny asked cautiously.  
  
"Well," Draco continued slowly. "I want to make sure Nalani's alright with that friend of yours, and seeing as he's your friend, I'm sure he wouldn't object to a double date sort of thing?"  
  
"I...I suppose not..." Ginny stammered, completely taken off guard. Did Draco Malfoy just ask her out?  
  
"Excellent," He replied, a smile spreading on his face.  
  
"Right, I'll see you this weekend, then," Ginny said. She didn't know if she should be flattered or not-did he want to go out with her or keep an eye on his cousin?  
  
"No, no I'm not done yet," He said, taking her hand.  
  
"There's more?" Ginny said a bit nervously.  
  
"Yes, well, you can say no if you want but..." Draco stopped to collect himself. "If I could have one more goodnight kiss?" He looked so hopeful that Ginny nearly laughed. Who had ever seen Draco Malfoy look so nervous?  
  
She smiled and tilted her face towards his, saying, "I don't see why not. As long as Ron doesn't catch us..."  
  
He smiled and kissed her once more. He wrapped his arms around her waist and Ginny held onto his shoulders. They were cut short, however, by a familiar voice.  
  
"If you wouldn't snog my best friend at one in the morning, Malfoy, that'd be great," Aiden said from behind Ginny. She turned to look at his scowl and grinned.  
  
"Draco, this is Aiden, Aiden Draco," Ginny introduced them. Draco glared over her shoulder at the handsome Irish boy who returned the look. "I should get to bed, though."  
  
Draco reluctantly released the little redhead and stepped back saying, "I'll meet you by the Entrance Hall, then?"  
  
"Sure," Ginny said, climbing through. Before the portrait closed she whispered, "Goodnight, Draco."  
  
"Goodnight, Virginia," he replied as the portrait swung closed.  
  
"So," Aiden said with a frown, "you're going out with him this weekend?"  
  
"Yup," Ginny replied, heading for her dorm.  
  
"You're coming with Nalani and I," he instructed in a I-won't-take-no- for-an-answer voice.  
  
"Ok, Aiden," Ginny paused and pecked his cheek in a sisterly gesture. "'Night."  
  
"Night, Ginia," Aiden replied as he watched Ginny walk up to her dorm. When he heard her door close, he said down on an armchair with a groan. 'Draco Malfoy?' He thought mournfully. 'Why on earth did I make her break it off with the last bloke? Malfoy's not going to be intimidated as easily as the others.' Aiden sighed resignedly. Ginny Weasley would be the death of him and all of her brothers- that was for sure.  
  
A Note from the Author: Well, there you have it. I got this idea when reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. For a moment I thought of getting Ginny and Aiden together, but I'm a diehard Draco/Ginny shipper. I hope you liked it. Even if you thought it sucked, please leave a review. 


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